News

Be prepared for combine fires

A safety expert says farmers must take precautions against machinery fires which are a common occurrence during harvest.  University of Wisconsin Extension safety expert John Shutske says the moving parts of a combine and dry plant materials can start a fire quickly.  “It’s amazing how they go from something you can easily put out with an extinguisher to, especially if you burn into a fuel line or your get a tire burning, you’ve got a major, major catastrophe on your hand.”

Shutske says properly taking care of the machinery reduces most of the risk.  He says, “Taking an air compressor or broom, and just making sure you get all of that residue cleaned off, if you’ve got a leaking hose or a valve, or any sort of leaks on on that machine, make sure you get them taken care of right away.  Proper maintenance is the key there.”

He says having more than one fire extinguisher and making sure they’re charged can keep a small fire from becoming a big problem.  “Some of these fires are actually big enough, you’ll actually exhaust two 10-pound A-B-C dry chemical fire extinguishers.  The other thing is to check the gauges on your extinguishers and make sure you’ve got a full charge.”

Shutske says farmers should stop occasionally to make sure there is no clogged material in the harvester.